Ribbon display and dispensing device



FIG

W C KIER RIBBON DISPLAY AND DISPENSING DEVICE Filed April 28. 1959 Nov. 29, 1960 JNVENTOR.

C. Kl ER ATTORNEYS United States Patent RIBBON DISPLAY AND DISPENSING DEVIC Willard C. Kier, P.0. Box 938, Chelan, Wash.

Filed Apr. 28, 1959, Ser. No. 809,534 r 6 Claims. (Cl. 225-37) The present invention relates to a multi-spool ribbon display holder and dispenser whereby ribbon can be attractively displayed and selectively unreeled from a plurality of spools and cut, and wherein provision is made for optionally curling the ribbon during the dispensing operation. More particularly, the invention relates to a ribbon dispenser of the type disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 736,108, filed May 19, 1958.

My invention aims to provide an improved such device which will have a minimum of working parts, be of simple and economical construction, and easy to load and operate, and which at the same time will serve to attractively display the ribbon.

With yet additional objects and advantages in view which, with the foregoing, will appear and be understood in the course of the following description and claims, the invention consists in the novel construction and in the adaptation and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of my invention with parts broken away and partly in vertical section.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken as indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectional view taken as shown by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a detail front elevational view as indicated by line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings it is seen that ribbon spools Illa-f are seated by their end hubs on holders which comprise pairs of pins 11 projecting inwardly from a pair of horseshoe shaped side walls 12-13. These walls are preferably fabricated from a transparent plastic material and are interconnected by guide bars 14, one being provided for each spool. Screws 15 mount the side walls at opposite sides of an elongated base 16 which is beveled downwardly somewhat at the front. It will be noted that the pairs of spool-holding pins 11 and their respective guide bars 14 are established in two sets of tiers. These and respective dividers 17-18 are so arranged that the ribbons a-f can reel over the guide bars 14 and travel downwardly between the tier sets in different planes.

The dividers 17-18 are mounted by angle brackets 19 in the base 16 and, as seen in Fig. 2, are staggered laterally as well as fore and aft. Each divider has outwardly directed fingers 20 defining tiers of open-ended ports 21 therebetween. For purposes of example I have shown three tiers of spools in each set, and hence each of the dividers 17-18 is given three ports. Of significance is the fact that the dividers are sloped upper end forwardly so that the ports of each divider will have their ribbonentry mouths occupying different vertical planes. The effect of this arrangement is best seen by viewing the ribbons a-b in Fig. 1 and noting that ribbon b is not only above ribbon a, but also enters its divider port forwardly of ribbon a. Similarly, ribbons d-f enter the 2,962,199 Patented Nov. .29, 1.9.60

top, center and bottom ports of divider 18, respectively, at fore-and-aft staggered points.

From the dividers 17-18 the ribbons travel forwardly between respective gates defined by a row of guide posts 20 and beneath a removable retarding assembly. This assembly comprises a cross-plate 21 and a rubber retarding strip 22 riveted thereto and pressed against the upper face of the base 16. The cross-plate 21 is inserted at its ends into forwardly opening opposed slots 23 which are presented by a pair of fiat holders 24 mounted on the inner faces of the forward legs of the side walls 12-13. A forwardly downward slope is given to the slots-2310 give a complementing slope to the retarding strip 22.

In front of the retarding assembly isa curling bar25 which is spaced above the base by ribbon separating fingers 26. Angle brackets 27 are secured to the outer fingers for mounting on the base. It should be noted that the lower portion of the curling bar is beveled to a sharp edge between the fingers 26 so that when a ribbon is pulled upwardly thereagainst, as demonstrated by ribbon e in Fig. 1, it is curled. H

A ribbon cutting unit is screw mounted on the forward end of the base and has a pair of holding plates 28 between which are clamped a pair of razor-like cutting blades 29-30. As shown in Fig. 4, the holding plates have an elongated center cutout which has a narrow opening at the top thereby defining spaced holder arms 31. The blades are shaped and held such that their cutting edges diverge from the opposed free ends of these arms toward the base. With this arrangement a ribbon can be readily inserted between the holder arms 31 and pulled up against one of the blades for cutting, ribbons a-c on blade 29, and ribbons 01- on blade 30.

Loading of spools into my dispenser is readily performed since the spools can be slid endwise of the unit between the side walls 12-13 and onto selected pairs of the spool-holding pins 11. Each ribbon is then in turn drawn over the adjacent guide bar 14 and threaded sidewise in the forward direction through a designated port of one of the dividers 17-18. Then, with the retarding assembly 21-22 removed from slots 23, each ribbon is threaded through a designated gate defined by the posts 20 and thence between correspondingly alined of the separating fingers 26 beneath the curling bar 25. With the ribbons thus in dispensing position the retarding assembly is replaced.

As before mentioned, for display purposes, it is preferred to have the side walls 12-13 transparent. When a ribbon has been selected its free end is readily accessible at the front of base 16 to be gripped for unreeling it from its spool. As the ribbon unwinds in response to a manual pulling of the free end thereof it can be adequately tensioned due to the pressure of the retarding strip 22 and the friction between the hubs of the turning spool and the related pins 11. When the desired length of ribbon has been drawn it can be easily severed by forcing the ribbon against the respective cutting blade. After the ribbon is cut, backlash thereof is prevented by the retarding strip 22. If it is desired to have the length of ribbon curled it is merely manually pulled over the curling edge while performing the dispensing operation and is then severed.

The advantages of the invention will, it is thought, have been clearly understood from the foregoing detailed description of the embodiment which I have elected to illustrate. Changes in the details of construction will suggest themselves and may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, wherefor it is my intention that no limitations be implied and that the hereto annexed claims be given a scope fully commensurate with the broadest interpretation to which the employed language admits.

What I claim is:

1. In a ribbon dispenser, a base, front and back spaced sets of tiers of ribbon holders mounted above said base, front and back spaced divider means below the space between said sets and carried by said base, ,said divider means each providing ribbon ports, one for each of its holders, the ports of said front divider means being displaced laterally of said base from fore-and-aft alinement with the ports of said back divider means whereby ribbons from spools held by said back ribbon holders and threaded forwardly through said back divider means will pass forwardly therefrom along different paths than ribbons threaded forwardly through said front divider means from spools held by said front set of holders.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which a ribbon retarder is yieldingly urged against said base forwardly of said front divider means.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which said divider means are sloped forwardly at the top.

4. The structure of claim 1 in which a ribbon retarder is mounted on said base forwardly of said front divider means and in which laterally alined ribbon gates are provided forwardly of said retarder.

5. The structure of claim 4 in which ribbon cutting means is mounted on said base forwardly of said gates and has an upwardly opening access to a downwardly directed cutting blade.

6. In a ribbon dispenser, an elongated base, laterally spaced side walls extending upwardly from said base, front and back spaced sets of tiers of ribbon holders mounted on said side walls above said base, front and back sets of guide bars interconnecting said side walls, one guide bar for each ribbon holder, front and back spaced divider means below the space between said sets of guide bars and carried by said base, said divider means each providing ribbon ports, one for each of its holders, the ports of said front divider means having ribbon passage portions displaced from fore-and-aft alinement with the ports of said back divider means, whereby ribbons from spools held by said back ribbon holders and threaded over the respective said guide bars and forwardly through said back divider means will pass forwardly therefrom along different paths than ribbons threaded from spools held by said front set of holders over the respective said guide bars and forwardly through said ribbon passage portions.

246,665 De Iongh Sept. 6, 1881 

